Reports

As you’ll soon learn, the Hyundai i30 SR has a well laid out, logical interior. That same user-friendliness extends to the infotainment system, which is shared with the wider i30 range. Central to the system is a freestanding 8.0-inch touchscreen mounted high on the dashboard. With its gloss-black surround and (almost) aftermarket look, it could have been nicked from a Mercedes-Benz – although Hyundai has opted for a set of physical buttons around the screen in place of the rotating, touch-sensitive controller favoured by the Germans. The screen is bright and clear, and the software on board is dead easy to navigate. Even the navigation is relatively reliable, although it’s no match for the latest Google Maps software when it comes to traffic-dodging smarts. Your home screen is a split display showing navigation, media and a third, customisable field. There’s also a customisable ‘my menu’ shortcut button on the right-hand side of the screen. … [Read more...] about Hyundai i30 SR long-term review, report two: infotainment

We here at CleanTechnica, EV Obsession, and GAS2 are launching our first report. It’s a report that was made possible by the thousands of readers who completed a handful of surveys we created to dive deeper into the electric car market. I think the report, Electric Cars: What Early Adopters & First Followers Want, fills a number of important information gaps, and includes many interesting findings. The intro of the report is below, or you can just download the full thing (for free) right here and read it all. The electric car market has been growing exponentially in the past few years. But it is still a small percentage of the new car market in most places, typically representing less than 1% of new car sales. What is needed to grow electric car sales to a majority of new car sales? What types of cars and what features will dominate in such a market? When will we reach that milestone? “Early adopters” and “first followers” … [Read more...] about GAS2 Report: “Electric Cars: What Early Adopters & First Followers Want”

The Hero Xtreme 200S is expected to be positioned as a premium urban commuter. Hero MotoCorp’s upcoming commuter, the Hero Xtreme 200S will be launched in early 2018, reports Motorbeam. The management at the Auto Expo 2016, where the bike was unveiled, had said that the bike would come before the Auto Expo 2018. The Hero Xtreme 200S tries to carry over the legacy of the CBZ family which now goes by just the Xtreme tag. Powering the machine is a 200 cc single cylinder, air cooled mill. The engine is capable of producing 18.6 PS of maximum power at 8,500 rpm and 17.2 Nm of peak torque at 6,000 rpm. Also Read: Hero Karizma cafe racer by Ballard Customs Hero MotoCorp will be using a diamond type frame in the Hero Xtreme 200S. The brakes will include discs at both ends while ABS will also be on offer. Suspended over standard telescopic forks up front and a monoshock in the rear, the setup can be expected to be set on the softer side to tackle typical Indian road conditions. Also Read: … [Read more...] about Hero Xtreme 200S to launch in early 2018, says new report

Nissan and Renault are reportedly in talks for a merger that will result in a new automaker that will trade as a single stock, Bloomberg reports. According to insiders familiar with the subject, the apparent deal is looking at ending the current alliance between the companies – which added Mitsubishi into the framework in October 2016 – and combine them into a single corporation. No other details have been reported about the matter, which has just emerged into the public eye. The latest report follows on that which came about earlier this month, when news reports indicated that Nissan and Renault were apparently discussing plans for a closer association through a change of ownership structure, one that would see the Japanese automaker buying out the French government’s 15% equity stake in Renault. In response to this, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance said that any discussion about a share transaction involving Renault, Nissan or the French state was pure … [Read more...] about Nissan and Renault reportedly in talks to merge and create a company that will trade as a single stock

Our longterm FZ25 is among the lot of motorcycles that Yamaha India recalled to fix an issue with the engine head cover bolt. The preventive measure was taken after the company suspected that the bolt could come lose over a period of time. If that were to happen, the engine would lose compression and as a consequence, there'd be additional damage to the internals. This should probably tell you why I had to leave the FZ25 parked in the office for about three weeks. Before that, I was happily commuting on the FZ25, to and from work. As a daily ride, the FZ is hassle free and after a long, tiring day, the Yamaha makes easy work of getting through Mumbai's mad traffic on the way home. There is, however, one niggle that seems to have cropped up. The ignition slot seems to have some sort of a loose connection. On many occasions, the ignition does not come on, when the key is turned to the ON position. Twisting the key a little solves this but it' slowly turning out to be a daily occurrence, … [Read more...] about 2017 Yamaha FZ 25 long term report: After 2,522km and five months